“I made a horrible mistake by joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same.”

Rice and one other student were expelled Tuesday over their alleged “leadership role,” a decision President David Boren attributed to his school’s zero tolerance policy for racist behavior.

Though the name of the second student has not been released, the campus newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, identified him as Levi Pettit.

A statement from Pettit’s parents said their son made a “horrible” mistake. They apologized to the “entire African-American community,” students and university faculty.

“He is a good boy, but what we saw in those videos is disgusting. While it may be difficult for those who only know Levi from the video to understand, we know his heart, and he is not a racist,” Brody and Susan Pettit said.

‘Extremely heartbroken’

“I don’t want it in my house, and I don’t want those people to wear my letters, claiming to represent me. The problem is not just a couple of guys on that bus, the problem is that house, it’s a cancer that needs to be cut out.”

The fraternity said it was investigating other incidents involving other chapters that were brought to the attention of its national office. .

Title VI

If the university hadn’t acted, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division may have stepped in, said Barbara Arnwine, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance,” according to the Justice Department.

“A very important part of the lexicon of civil rights law is that you cannot create a hostile environment where you make it so people of different races or religions or women feel they can’t function at your institution without being subjected to unlawful discrimination,” she said.

Were other students involved?

It’s unclear whether more students will be punished for the video.

Boren has promised the fraternity won’t return during his tenure if he can help it.

“The house will be closed, and as far as I’m concerned, they won’t be back,” he said. “There seems to be a culture in some of these fraternities, and it just has to be snuffed out.”